Stations of the Cross - In the Light of the Shroud (extremely powerful!)

GSB ^ | Lent 2006

[NYer]

Far too large and graphic intensive to post, here are some excerpts. Click on the link below to move to the Stations of the Cross, according to the Shroud of Turin.

What better way to comprehend the true reality of the Passion of Christ than to compare the traditional Stations of the Cross — handed down to us by St. Francis and the Franciscans — than by comparing them with the scientific and medical Truths found in more than 600,000 hours of peer-reviewed research surrounding the Shroud of Turin.

For it is the very burial cloth of Jesus, proven not only by the Image of the Holy Face imprinted on the linen, but by the fact that the Saints themselves have instinctually venerated this sacred relic.

The Shroud shows us the Passion of Christ unlike anything in mankind’s history, and unlike a movie, presents accurate details of a Sacrifice no normal person could endure. Not since the eyewitnesses to the Crucifixion of Jesus has anyone been able to comprehend the true depth of what our Lord went through.

In this Light, let us then examine each Station and what the Shroud can visually show us as believers in the 3rd Millennium.

THE FIRST STATION:  JESUS IS CONDEMNED TO DEATH
     From the Image of Jesus on the Shroud of Turin we can contemplate what His Body looked like at this point as Pilate asks the people of Israel what he should do with their Messiah.

     Jesus is 6-feet tall.  The Roman scourgers had our Lord bend over a 3-foot pillar to endure the whipping — a whipping they administered to the front and back of Jesus’ Body.  No normal person would have survived this scourging.

     Jesus receives, from the marks visible on His cloth, at the very least, 120 blows to His Body.  It was against Mosaic Law to punish anyone with more than 40 lashes; yet Jesus is suffering under Roman law, where there is no limit.  Usually, the Romans did not have to crucify anyone after they had whipped them so severely:  under these circumstances, the victim normally died before they could make it to a cross.

     Researchers, in trying to comprehend in our modern understanding the severity of this beating, have likened the Scourging of Christ as equivalent to a person being shot seven times by a .44-caliber Magnum! No one usually survives one shot from a .44, let alone seven!  This proves that Jesus is unique, for He is True God and True Man.

     One last point on this Station, Jesus is wearing a Crown of Thorns, but that is only a symbolic statement.  Our Lord is actually wearing a Cap of Thorns.  Pollen found on the Shroud proves the cloth was in Israel as the evidence of the thorn bush that makes up the Cap of Thorns comes from a plant that only grows in Palestine.

     This thorn bush grows 2– to 3-inch-long spikes — a very vicious plant.  Experts believe had the Roman soldiers tried to fashion this Cap of Thorns around our Lord’s Head, they would have lacerated their hands.  It is theorized, therefore, that the soldiers probably whacked the Cap of Thorns into Jesus’ Head using their swords to accomplish the task and then tied it to keep it in place.

THE SECOND STATION: JESUS CARRIES HIS CROSS
     While we should always love, honor and venerate the Stations of the Cross, there is a mistake in the Sacred art when it shows Jesus carrying a T-shaped Cross.  The Romans never had their prisoners carrying the stipe — that was too heavy for any individual to carry and was placed in the ground by soldiers and horses waiting for its next victim.  The Romans had their prisoners carry a crossbeam across their shoulders, weighing anywhere from 75 to 100 pounds.  The Shroud, unlike the Stations, is archaeologically correct, as it clearly shows Jesus carrying His Crossbeam across His shoulder.

     This Crossbeam is irritating Jesus’ back.  To understand how painful this is, think of how much a splinter can hurt and we can’t wait for a loved one to remove it for us. Jesus cannot remove the splinters of His Crossbeam and they are rubbing against the very wounds that have ripped parts of His flesh out from the scourging He received at the hands of the soldiers.

     In fact, Jesus once told a visionary that His right shoulder blade was His most severe wound, causing Him the most agony.  We can see the Truth of this when we look at the dorsal Image on the Shroud.  Interestingly, this part of the shoulder is know in Latin as the “scapula.” What did Mary give us as a gift to help save us from the fires of hell and Purgatory?  The “Scapular”! Most people refuse to wear this piece of cloth because it “irritates” their back — a spiritual message to remind us of the Crossbeam of Christ which irritated His scapula!

THE THIRD STATION: JESUS FALLS THE FIRST TIME
     On the right knee of the Shroud, we can see a severe skinning of the kneecap and researchers discovered dirt in that area that matches the type found in Jerusalem.

SHROUD STATIONS

[Iris7]

Are you familiar with the Spanish baroque style crucifix?

Yes. A fine middle to late 1700's specimen was sold in London about five years ago. Saw it on the net. Only the bronze corpus has survived. Could have purchased it.

[Cottonbay]

bttt